- Ecomare, Texel: a seal and porpoise rehabilitation center in De Koog where you can watch rescued animals in outdoor pools, plus clear exhibits on the tides and dunes. Go before you walk the coast and the landscape makes more sense.
- De Slufter, Texel: a tidal valley cut into the dunes where seawater floods a salt marsh at high tide. Sea lavender turns it purple in summer, and a marked trail crosses to the beach.
- Eierland Lighthouse, Texel: a red lighthouse at the island’s northern tip near De Cocksdorp, with a climb to a wide view over dunes and open sea. The surrounding Eierland dunes are quiet even in August.
- Vliehors, Vlieland: a huge bare sand plain at the island’s western end, partly a military range. Vliehors Express trucks cross it on scheduled trips, and the flat horizon feels almost desert-like.
- Ecomare, Texel: a seal and porpoise rehabilitation center in De Koog where you can watch rescued animals in outdoor pools, plus clear exhibits on the tides and dunes. Go before you walk the coast and the landscape makes more sense.
- De Slufter, Texel: a tidal valley cut into the dunes where seawater floods a salt marsh at high tide. Sea lavender turns it purple in summer, and a marked trail crosses to the beach.
- Eierland Lighthouse, Texel: a red lighthouse at the island’s northern tip near De Cocksdorp, with a climb to a wide view over dunes and open sea. The surrounding Eierland dunes are quiet even in August.
- Vliehors, Vlieland: a huge bare sand plain at the island’s western end, partly a military range. Vliehors Express trucks cross it on scheduled trips, and the flat horizon feels almost desert-like.
- Brandaris Lighthouse, Terschelling: dating from 1594, it stands over West-Terschelling and is among the oldest lighthouses in the Netherlands. It is best seen from the harbor streets below, where captains’ houses still line the lanes.
- Boschplaat, Terschelling: a protected nature reserve of salt marsh and open beach at the island’s eastern end, reached by bike and then on foot. Breeding birds and wide tidal flats make it a favorite with locals and a miss for most visitors.
- Oerol Festival, Terschelling: a ten-day theater and performance festival in June that uses forests, dunes and barns as stages. Beds sell out months ahead, so book early or skip it.
- Hollum Lighthouse, Ameland: a striped lighthouse above the village of Hollum, in a former whaling community. Nearby captains’ houses and the Sorgdrager museum explain how the island’s men once lived.
- Nationaal Park Schiermonnikoog: the island is almost entirely a national park, with a beach that stretches wide at low tide and a forest-and-dune interior reached by bike or on foot. Visitors’ cars are banned, so it is quiet.
- Westerplas, Schiermonnikoog: a bird lake inside the park with an observation hide, where spoonbills and geese feed. Few day-trippers venture this far from the village, which is why it stays calm.
Spotted a mistake or missing something? Contact us.
v2.webp)











Best Backpacking
Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.